February 2012

The first and third prize in the GNHS Photography Competition 2011 went to these amphibian themed photos taken during my field work:

A male palmate newt in breeding condition, as can be seen by his bright orange crested tail. Taken at the base of Ben Lomond during the 2011 breeding season.

This photo actually shows a water mould (Saprolegnia sp) attacking and killing common frog eggs. The photo was taken looking down a microscope. Saprolegnia initially attacks dead eggs within a clump, but spreads rapidly to live eggs. It can cause widespread mortality within a pond and is of economic importance to fisheries as it also infects fish eggs.

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